


So you go, and it all goes darker

by EternallyEC



Series: the raising of an old hope, brave and tattered [2]
Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Magic, Self-Discovery, Self-empowerment, if you know you know, torvel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: It took a spell to start what's now been broken, could a spell be the answer to mend Tori's broken heart?
Series: the raising of an old hope, brave and tattered [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125305
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	So you go, and it all goes darker

**Author's Note:**

> This one is pretty special to me, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, as of right now, I do plan on there being a third part to tie this up!

The night was unbearably warm, evidenced by the way Tori’s shirt was sticking to her sweat-slicked skin as she worked, relentlessly driving the shovel into the ground and scooping dirt out to the side over and over again. 

Her muscles ached and her lungs burned, but she just couldn’t stop. Stopping before the hole was deep enough would mean that she’d have to think about what she was about to do, and she wasn’t sure if she could go through with it if she did. The physical labor helped keep the more serious thoughts at bay, the handle of the shovel gripped in her hands grounding her and keeping her focused on the task at hand. Even the pain of the constant friction against her sensitive palms was helpful, and she felt a flash of affection for the shovel. 

Feeling somewhat silly but also certain that it was  _ right _ , she whispered, “Thank you,” into the night, her voice raspy as she realized that she was dying of thirst. But the gesture of gratitude somehow seemed to renew her, and she shivered slightly as she wondered if her idea might work after all. 

But she didn’t have time to think about it as she shoveled out another scoopful of dirt and paused, glancing at the hole she had dug. It was much deeper than she’d realized, and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she realized that it was ready. 

Taking a moment to catch her breath, the brunette gingerly rolled her shoulders before leaning the shovel against a tree with care. Stretching one arm and then the other, she allowed herself to finally think about what she needed to do. 

Step one, dig a hole, was done. She’d even managed to keep her thoughts primarily positive, and she gently touched the shovel with a smile as she silently thanked it for its help again. 

Step two was to gather the items that held negative feelings for her. They were wrapped carefully in a blanket and set to the side, and Tori hesitated as she touched the blanket. Taking another deep breath to steel herself, she slowly untucked the blanket and carefully unwound it until a shoebox was revealed. 

Allowing herself a moment, she gently ran her fingertips across the top and closed her eyes as she mentally cataloged its contents. There was a small baggie with ashes in it from the night that she and Jade had done another spell, this time burning things to release them and finding themselves revealing their own feelings to each other in the process. Two ticket stubs for a local festival that had shown one of Jade’s short films that subsequently won first place rested alongside it, and on and on the list went. 

Their relationship had spanned only months, but Tori couldn’t help but think they’d built a lifetime of memories together as she thought of the precious mementos the box held, her earlier fear of not being able to go through with it rising again. But she quickly squashed it, angrily wiping away the tears that had started to fall and reminding herself of why she was here. 

~ ~ ~

_ “We need to talk, Vega.”  _

_ Tori’s stomach twisted at the nickname Jade hadn’t used in months, not since they’d confessed their feelings for each other. But she was being silly, she thought as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turning to look at her girlfriend curiously. “What about?” she asked, years of training and experience with acting the only thing that allowed her to hide her sudden anxiety and to sound mostly normal.  _

_ If Jade noticed, she didn’t let on, stepping closer with a guarded look in her eyes that made Tori’s stomach do another queasy flip. “We need to break up.”  _

_ It was as though all of the air had been sucked from the room, the way Tori’s lungs struggled to take in another breath after feeling as though she’d been punched in the gut. As she stared at her… girlfriend? ex? whatever the hell they were now, the silence stretched between them, feeling so tense Tori thought you could cut it with a knife.  _

_ “Why?” she finally managed to whisper, once she remembered how to breathe and trusted her voice to work. And with just that one word, her resolve broke as reality set in, tears streaming down her face. “What did I do?”  _

~ ~ ~

And that was the question she’d never gotten an answer to, as well as the reason she was here now. Hardening her heart, she picked up the shoe box and opened it, dumping the contents out into the hole she’d dug before tossing the shoebox in on top of it all. And just like that, step three was done. 

Closing her eyes, she thought of the way Jade had refused to answer, instead going silent for a few moments as Tori begged her to explain. She thought of the way she’d mumbled something that sounded like maybe an apology before leaving, ignoring all of Tori’s pleading for her to stay, to talk about what was happening. 

She thought about this and envisioned herself taking those memories and every negative feeling she had about Jade West and collecting it into something tangible. She pictured each memory and feeling as a strand and wound them all up until it looked almost like a ball of yarn, and then she searched herself until she was certain none remained. 

“I release you,” she spoke into the heated night air, voice low but commanding as she mimed throwing the ball into the hole as she pictured it in her head. “I release you, you have no power over me anymore,” she said, brushing her hands to signify ridding herself of any negativity that might still cling to her. 

Taking the shovel back from where it leaned against the tree, Tori didn’t spare the contents of a hole another glance as she began to fill it back in with dirt. Once again, the physical labor was a blessing and she hardly noticed the burning in her arms as she focused on completing her task and ending the spell.

Filling in the hole was, as expected, much faster than digging it had been, and all too soon for Tori’s liking, she was finished. Gently smoothing the dirt with the shovel, she took a deep breath and raised her eyes to the night sky. The deep velvety blue of it only made the stars shining there seem brighter, and she felt that same sense of magic in the air and smiling. 

Searching herself, she realized that she could think of Jade without overwhelming pain for the first time in months, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

Whether by magic or by virtue of symbolism, she had granted herself a reprieve, though she wasn’t foolish enough to think it would be permanent. Tori knew that she’d always hurt when she thought of Jade West, but at least now she knew that she had the power to help herself overcome it. 

And as she carefully cleaned the shovel off with a bottle of water and a towel she’d brought for the occasion, she couldn’t help whispering another thank you. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from _Every Word_ by **Belly**  
>  Series title taken from _Low Red Moon_ by **Belly**


End file.
